Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Azfar Sheikh, M.D.
Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Very High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 4 of 4 federal sources
Measures public federal data availability — not provider quality
Informational, not a quality rating.
This page presents federal public records about Dr. Sheikh from CMS (NPPES, Open Payments, Medicare Provider Utilization, PECOS). It is not medical advice, an endorsement, or a judgment of clinical quality. Always consult the provider directly and a licensed clinician for medical decisions. Read methodology →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Sheikh
Dr. Azfar Sheikh is a student in an organized health care education/training program specialist in Houston, TX, with 13 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Sheikh performed 3,517 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Sheikh received a total of $16,154 from 29 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 199 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly reported through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their effect on care. A reliable breakdown by payment category is not available in this snapshot. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Sheikh is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.
✓ 13 years of NPI registration
▲ Top 5% volume in TX
$16,154 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary — 2023
Medicare Utilization ↗3,517
Medicare services
Top 5% in TX for student in an organized health care education/training program
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$123
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
Top procedures by volume
Ranked by number of services performed for Medicare patients. Avg. submitted charge is what the provider billed; avg. Medicare payment is what CMS paid.
| Procedure | Volume | Avg. paid | Avg. submitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic care management, first 20 min/month This service covers the first 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional each calendar month to manage chronic conditions. |
703 | $51 | $100 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
381 | $98 | $301 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test An injection of regadenoson, a medication used to stress the heart during diagnostic testing. |
332 | $45 | $203 |
| Chronic care management, additional 20 min/month This service covers an extra 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional for managing two or more chronic conditions each calendar month. |
272 | $39 | $75 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
234 | $100 | $495 |
| EKG interpretation and report A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report. |
215 | $7 | $20 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
164 | $11 | $36 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) A follow-up office visit for an existing patient lasting between 30 and 39 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
137 | $100 | $321 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
117 | $148 | $485 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service. |
115 | $65 | $199 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review. |
110 | $55 | $194 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter. |
83 | $146 | $450 |
| Rubidium rb-82, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 60 millicuries | 72 | $600 | $2,358 |
| Nuclear stress test with CT scan A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow in the heart muscle at rest and during stress, performed alongside a concurrent CT scan. |
69 | $1,951 | $3,014 |
| PET scan of heart muscle blood flow A nuclear medicine imaging test that uses positron emission tomography (PET) to evaluate blood flow within the heart muscle. |
64 | $137 | $1,078 |
| Principal care management for high-risk disease, first 30 minutes This service covers the initial 30 minutes of clinical staff time per calendar month to manage a single high-risk disease. It is directed by a healthcare professional. |
62 | $50 | $100 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 21-30 minutes A telephone conversation with a physician lasting between 21 and 30 minutes. This code covers the time spent discussing medical matters over the phone. |
43 | $87 | $319 |
| Ultrasound of leg arteries or grafts An imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the blood vessels in the legs or any surgical grafts present. |
42 | $197 | $606 |
| Complete ultrasound of aorta, vena cava, groin vessels or bypass grafts A complete ultrasound exam of the aorta, vena cava, groin vessels, or bypass grafts. This imaging test uses sound waves to visualize these blood vessels. |
41 | $126 | $456 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
40 | $140 | $436 |
| Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older. |
39 | $10 | $32 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter. |
34 | $114 | $419 |
| Ultrasound guidance for blood vessel access Use of ultrasound imaging to help locate and access a blood vessel. This guidance assists healthcare providers in performing procedures such as inserting IV lines or drawing blood. |
33 | $12 | $100 |
| Cardiac catheterization | 32 | $226 | $2,631 |
| Ultrasound of arm or leg veins An ultrasound exam of the veins in the arm or leg. The test uses sound waves to check blood flow and may include compression and other maneuvers. |
28 | $132 | $484 |
| Technetium Tc-99m sestamibi diagnostic injection A diagnostic injection of technetium Tc-99m sestamibi used for imaging studies. |
17 | $630 | $1,553 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and during stress using a special camera. |
16 | $363 | $1,190 |
| Continuous external EKG monitoring, 48 hours to 7 days This procedure involves recording, analyzing, and interpreting a continuous external electrocardiogram (EKG) over a period of more than 48 hours up to 7 days. |
11 | $216 | $663 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 11 | $171 | $557 |
How to read this data: This reflects Medicare patients only (typically 65+). Payment amounts are what Medicare paid the provider, not your out-of-pocket cost. These counts do not measure clinical quality or years of experience.
8.7% high complexity
21.7% medium
69.5% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$16,154
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $2,308/year across 7 years
Top 3% in TX for student in an organized health care education/training program
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
29
Companies
199
Payment records
Payments are publicly reported; disclosure does not establish legality · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →
Payment categories are unavailable while the source breakdown is being rebuilt. Company and year totals do not identify how much belongs to each category.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$899
2023
$2,391
2022
$2,334
2021
$3,509
2020
$3,756
2019
$2,610
2018
$656
Payments by company (2024)
Boston Scientific Corporation
$144
ABIOMED
$126
Philips North America LLC
$112
Amgen Inc.
$104
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$90
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$72
Inari Medical, Inc.
$53
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$47
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$35
Abbott Laboratories
$23
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$22
Medtronic, Inc.
$21
CVRx, Inc.
$19
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$16
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$14
Top 3 companies account for 42.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Abbott Laboratories
$4,261
Boston Scientific Corporation
$3,693
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$2,979
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$1,334
Amgen Inc.
$539
Medtronic, Inc.
$488
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$454
ABIOMED
$299
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$270
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$243
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$223
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$198
PFIZER INC.
$181
Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
$166
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$143
Philips North America LLC
$112
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$104
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$86
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$58
Inari Medical, Inc.
$53
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$51
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$47
CVRx, Inc.
$42
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$34
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$26
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$22
Itamar Medical Inc
$17
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$17
AtriCure, Inc.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 67.7% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(BH4) IGT Devices Undivided · AMPLATZER AMULET · AMPLATZER Occluders · ANGIOJET · AURYON LASER SYSTEM 100-120 VAC · AVVIGO Guidance System · BRILINTA · Barostim Neo System · BodyGuardian · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · COMET · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · CROSSBOSS · CoreValve Evolut · Dragonfly OCT · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · ELIQUIS · EMBLEM S ICD ELECTRODE DELIVERY SYSTEM · EMERGE · ENTRESTO · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX · Edarbi · Edarbyclor · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · Endurant · FARXIGA · FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER · General - Therapies · HawkOne · ILAB · Impella · JARDIANCE · LEQVIO · LifeVest · MITRACLIP · MULTAQ · MitraClip System · NEXLETOL · OPSUMIT · OPTIMIZER · OPTIS · Optimizer · PRALUENT ALIROCUMAB INJECTION · Peripheral Orbital Atherectomy System · RESONATE · RESONATE EL ICD VR · ROTABLATOR · Repatha · Resolute · S · SYNERGY · VERQUVO · Vascepa · VenaCure 1470 Pro · WATCHMAN Access System · WATCHMAN FLX · WatchPATONE · Wholey · XARELTO · XIENCE SIERRA · XIENCE V
Should you be concerned? Industry payments are disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their purpose, legality, or effect on care. What matters is whether a recommended drug or device appears in your doctor's payment records. If so, consider asking your doctor about it. How to interpret this data →
Geographic Context
Student in an organized health care education/training programs in nearby ZIP areas
5,197
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
MEMORIAL HERMANN - TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 mi
0.0 mi
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | NPPES snapshot; verify current record |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | PECOS snapshot |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not included | N/A |
This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Sheikh is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 5% in TX).
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Sheikh experienced with chronic care management, first 20 min/month?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Sheikh performed 703 chronic care management, first 20 min/month services. These records cover Medicare fee-for-service activity, including eligible younger beneficiaries; they do not measure total practice volume or clinical quality.
Does Dr. Sheikh receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Sheikh received a total of $16,154 from 29 companies across 199 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their legality or effect on care. Patients may wish to ask their doctor about these relationships, especially if a recommended drug or device appears in the payment records.
How do Dr. Sheikh's costs compare to other student in an organized health care education/training programs in Houston?
Dr. Sheikh's average Medicare payment per service is $123. Note that these figures represent what Medicare pays, not your out-of-pocket cost, which depends on your specific insurance plan and deductible. Procedure-level data above shows both what was submitted and what Medicare paid for each service type.
What does Data Coverage mean?
Data Coverage (currently Very High for Dr. Sheikh) measures how much public federal data is available about a provider. It is not a quality rating. A "Very High" or "High" level means the provider has data across multiple federal sources (NPPES, PECOS, Medicare Utilization, Open Payments), indicating the presence of registry, enrollment, activity or payment records, not verified experience or clinical quality. A "Low" or "Moderate" level may simply mean the provider is newer, does not see Medicare patients, or has not received any industry payments — none of which are inherently negative. Read our full methodology →
Is this data up to date?
Source publication dates and the snapshots loaded on this site can differ. Rebuilding a page does not refresh its source records. Check the Medicare reporting year and the payment interval shown above; consult the linked official sources for newer releases and current registry details. See our data freshness policy →
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About this page
This page combines public CMS records with calculated summaries and explanatory procedure labels. These transformations are not verbatim federal records. Sources: NPPES ↗, Open Payments ↗, Medicare Provider Utilization ↗, and PECOS. Publication is mandated by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (§6002 ACA, 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7h) and the Freedom of Information Act.
This page is not medical advice, an endorsement, a recommendation, or a quality rating. Data Coverage reflects data completeness — how much federal information exists for this provider — not clinical performance, patient outcomes, or quality of care. Always verify information directly with the provider and consult a licensed clinician before making medical decisions.
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